Getting Girlfriends
by Summerflowers26
Summary: (ShikamaruxOC) Some boys in the village feel like it's about time they got girlfriends. Others disagree, saying they're too busy.
1. Chapter 1

Shikamaru's POV

It is hot today; it was hotter than yesterday, but it will be hotter tomorrow. That's just how summer went in leaf village. With nothing to do, the four of us were just sitting in the shade near the gate.

"You know, isn't it about time we got girlfriends?" Kiba questioned randomly.

"That would be nice." Choji agreed with a sigh.

"Girlfriends? We can hardly handle the amount of missions we have now? We don't have time for girlfriends, they're too much of a drag anyways." I chimed in.

"I have to agree with Shikamaru on this one." Shino added.

"You guys are lame. Having a girl to protect, that's what I want." Kiba argued as he pet Akamaru.

"Is there even a girl in the village that you like Kiba?" I asked with a smirk.

"Oh, well no." Kiba replied with a sigh. "I just feel I haven't met the right girl yet, you know?" All four of us nodded in agreement.

"What about Temari, Shikamaru?" Choji asked, as he did every once in a while.

"Eh, she's a pain, way too much to handle. Just working with her on the chunin exams was a drag." I answered. Sighing, I was slightly overjoyed when Temari had gone back to her village. Even though we are good friends, she's a lot to handle.

"Why don't we have a little bet?" Kiba suggested suddenly.

"A bet?" Shino questioned, sounding unamused.

"Yes. To see who can get a girlfriend first." Kiba explained, sounding excited.

"That's not fair to the girl." Choji replied. "Just to get a girlfriend for the sake of having a girlfriend. Shouldn't we wait until we meet girls we actually like and want to be with?" Nice guy Choji, he deserves a really sweet girl.

"You didn't let me finish. It's a bet of chance. We don't try to go out and get girlfriends, we just see who happens to get one first. And we bet on who will." Kiba continued.

"Okay, sure why not." I replied with a sigh. "I bet I'll get one last."

"No way Shikamaru, girls love you." Choji argued.

"I think I'll get one first." Kiba announced, puffing his chest out. Akamaru barked in agreement.

A cool breeze interrupted us. A tornado of leaves appeared before us, and when it disappeared a second later, a blonde girl with an ANBU mask appeared in front of us. "Nara, Aburame, Inuzuka, Akimichi; you four report to Lady Tsunade, now." She commanded, then disappeared into her tornado of leaves again.

"See, told you we have no free time." I told them as we stood up with sighs.

"Guess we will have to finalize the bets later." Kiba shrugged.

"What do you think she needs us for?" Choji asked, sounding excited.

"Probably a mission." Shino answered. We hurried to the Hokage's office, debating over what the mission could be.

There were already two girls in Tsunade's office by the time we arrived. One was the blonde girl from before, and another was a red haired girl of about the same height. They were both facing lady Tsunade, but they turned around when we walked in.

I saw Kiba and Choji's eyes immediately drift towards the blonde, whose mask was off now. She is pretty yes, and around our age if not a little older. Unfamiliar to us, I guessed she is from the Foundation, which I don't know much about. She looks cruel and bitchy to me, but that is just my first impression.

The other girl has a softer look; her eyes look playful and intriguing. But she also looks tough, like someone you didn't want to mess with, like she has faced a lot of hardship in her short life. She looked at all of us, observing everything about us as if she was analyzing and planning for the future. I found her much more interesting.

"Boys, I have a mission for you that is a little different than normal. You are going to be a decoy team and these two girls will be the ones actually getting the job done." Tsunade told us. We all nodded. "Shikamaru, you will be in charge of the decoy team." She looked at me before turning to the redhead. "And you will be in charge of the two of you. You two already know your mission, so I won't repeat your part to the boys." The blonde didn't seem happy about not being in charge, but they both nodded. I sighed as quietly as I could. What a drag, being a leader of a decoy team.

"Since you haven't met, this is Cassandra Kimura," she pointed to the redhead, "and for now, Miyuki Sato" she pointed to the blonde.

"This will be a couple day mission." Tsunade continued. "If you look at this map, this is the path you will take. You boys have to make it seem as real as possible. You have to convince your attackers that you are the ones are trying to get the package. Your teams will stay the night here and split up in the morning. Hopefully by the second night, the package will be recovered. You will meet here on the third night." Tsunade explained it all to us as she guided her fingers over the map on her desk. I tried not to get to close to it, since it smelt like dust and mold.

Once everything was in order and we all understood what we were to do, we all agreed to meet at the gate in twenty minutes.

"Good luck everyone." Tsunade told us. "I trust you will get this mission done."

"Of course." We all replied at once. Miyuki immediately lifted her hands to her mouth and once again disappeared into a tornado of leaves, but Cassandra didn't leave so quickly.

"Can I ask why her, my lady?" Cassandra asked a few seconds later, sounding irritated.

"Sadly she was the only one the Foundation had available. I know you don't like her, and I'd give you anyone else if I could." Tsunade replied, almost as if she forgot us guys were still here. "Just keep an eye on her and report back to me if she does anything suspicious. I still don't trust Danzo or anyone from the foundation."

"I will." Cassandra nodded and then made a hand sign, and was engulfed into flames for a second, then was gone.

Us guys looked at each other, feeling confused and out of the loop. We all left and went our separate ways. So Miyuki has an Earth chakra nature and Cassandra has a fire; I would have to remember that.


	2. Chapter 2

Cassandra's POV

This girl again. I sighed as I leaned against the wall, enjoying the shade. I was already ready for the mission when Tsunade had called us in, so now I just had to wait for the others to show up.

So she was going by Miyuki this time; I wasn't that surprised that they had changed her name. It has been over a year since the last time I saw her, and I wish it had been longer. Hopefully we could get along better this time, but I doubt that would happen. Even the sound of her voice ticked me off.

At least those boys were going with us, which left us out of immediate danger and gave us a greater chance of success. Tsunade had mentioned how important this was, and I wasn't about to let some stupid bitch stop me from getting it done. The first one to arrive at the gate was the boy with a ponytail, the one in charge of the decoy team.

"You're Shikamaru Nara, right?" I asked him as he walked up, though it wasn't much of a question, I knew I was right. Tsunade had told us the basics of each of the boys. This one is the smart one, the planner, the strategist . . . and also the lazy one.

"Yeah, that's me." He replied with a shrug. "So why haven't I ever seen you around?"

"Umm. . ." I stumbled with my words, and he shot me a curious glance. "I was gone for a while. And I mostly keep to myself."

He seemed to accept that answer. "And that other girl, you've worked with her before?"

"I have, and I don't trust her at all." I spat bitterly.

"Why?" Shikamaru asked.

"The Foundation can't be trusted. They are always in it for themselves. She won't rush out to save your life. She'll let you die if she gets the chance." Foundation freaks should just stay there and not interfere with us out here; I can't stand people like them. Not like I talked to many people anyways.

We waited in silence from then on, and the others slowly began to arrive. Dog boy and chubby were still watching Miyuki, and I couldn't help but chuckle. They stood no chance of getting her, no boy did. But Shikamaru, he kept watching me, and I wasn't sure why.

As soon as everyone had arrived, we left. Miyuki and I led the way, with the boys following close behind. They talked the entire way, but us girls were silent. We did shoot the occasion glare at each other though.

We arrived at the spot we were supposed to just as night began to fall. "We will take turns keeping watch, one from each team awake at each time." I announced as we all set our things down.

"But then that will only leave each of you with a few hours of sleep." Shikamaru commented. "Why don't we just have one person watch at a time?"

"Miyuki and I don't mind. Two sets of eyes are better than one anyways." I commented. I didn't want Miyuki to be on watch alone, at least this way a boy would be awake with her at all times. "I'll take first watch." I told her, and she nodded in agreement. At least she wasn't arguing with me on this.

We ate quickly, while sitting in a circle. We tried to hide our foods smell, and the smell of pine from the tall trees surrounding us helped. I watched as Kiba and Choji attempted to flirt with Miyuki, but she just flipped her blonde hair and ignored them.

"I'll take first watch for us, followed by Shino, Choji and Kiba." Shikamaru announced once we finished eating. None of the boys argued, but got up and began to prepare to go to sleep.

I was a little ways away, sitting with my back against a tall rock. Book in hand, I watched as they all tucked in. Miyuki was already passed out; I was enjoying not listening to her voice.

Shikamaru walked over a few minutes later and sat down beside me. "It's a little chilly tonight."

"Yeah, it is." I replied as I wrapped my blanket around me tighter. The cool breeze chilled my skin, it sure was a change from the heat we had experienced during the day.

"So what are you reading?" Shikamaru asked. I wasn't used to the small talk, and I wasn't sure why he wanted to talk. Maybe it was just to keep himself awake, though he didn't seem too tired. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and keep it going.

"It's about the different chakra types." I explained.

"So you are one of those girls." He commented with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Well, you're hungry for knowledge. You're always observing what's around you, planning head." He paused and sighed. "You're not superficial, you're not always caring about what you look like or who's paying attention to you."

"Yeah I guess." I replied as I looked up at the stars. I was shocked he had figured me out this much, just by knowing me for a few hours.

"I like that." Shikamaru commented quietly to himself, but I heard it. I just hoped I wasn't blushing.

"So what about you?" I asked as I set my book on the ground.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, shooting me a confused glance.

"Well, I know you're lazy but extremely intelligent. I know you're determined and caring. But what else? What do you want in life?"

"What do I want in life . . . well I'll eventually become a joinin, and I'd like to have a team of my own to train one day. And then after that, I'd like to find a nice girl to settle down with and have a kid or two. Then grow old playing shoji, reading, and looking at the clouds."

I smiled and laughed to myself. "Sounds nice."

"What about you?"

"I haven't figured it out yet." I admitted with a sigh. "I'm not one for planning ahead anymore."

"Why not?" Shikamaru questioned.

"I've learned nothing goes as planned, so what's the point in planning anything?" I replied with a shrug. We both went silent after that, as if we were both lost in thought.

"You can go to sleep if you'd like, I can keep watch for you." Shikamaru offered a few minutes later.

"No thanks." I replied as I scooted closer to him and leaned my head onto his shoulder. "You can keep talking though."

"I don't have much to say." He told me, sounding slightly flustered by the contact.

"Tell me a story, about a time you were really happy." I commanded.

"Well okay, this one time." Shikamaru stared, and that began a story about him and Choji. I felt myself start to drift off a few times, but the cool breeze that occasionally returned made me shiver and woke me back up. About halfway through the night, I woke up Miyuki and Shikamaru woke up Shino.

"It's midnight, why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Shino questioned Shikamaru as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I just wasn't sleepy." Shikamaru shrugged. Shino accepted that answer and got up and began to keep watch.

I was laying down near where Miyuki had been, and Shikamaru brought his blanket over beside me. "Mind if I lay here?" he asked, as he was already laying down beside me.

"Go ahead." I told him as I closed my eyes. I was asleep a few minutes later

Miyuki woke me up before the three boys who weren't on watch were awake. We got ready and left, telling Kiba we'd see them in two days.

"Well, aren't you glad we get to be partners again?" Miyuki asked in her usual sarcastic tone as we ran through the trees.

"To be honest, not at all." I replied. She didn't say anything else.


	3. Chapter 3

*Skips forward to when the girls are heading back after completing their part of the mission*

Cassandra's POV

They were in battle with two men when we found them. We watched the battle from the trees above, waiting for the right moment to strike. Since our part of the job was done, we, or at least I, figured we might as well help the struggling boys.

My thoughts froze as I watched Shikamaru fight the tall bald man with the spear while the other three attacked the other man with a sword. I saw the man attempting to stab Shikamaru, and I knew I had to help. Shikamaru was on the ground, with the man standing over him. This wasn't going to end well.

"No." I whispered. I wasn't about to let another comrade die. I jumped out from the tree, hearing Miyuki calling after me. No, this wasn't a part of the plan. She would be pissed later, but I don't care. I touched the ground and jumped forward, diving towards Shikamaru.

I collided with his body with a hard smack, but we continued forward away from his spot. I felt a sudden deep pain in my side, and as we rolled and tumbled onto the ground a few feet away, I realized that the spear had scraped my side.

Miyuki jumped out from her spot, landing in front of Kiba and Choji. "Hello boys. Backup is here."

"Are you okay?" Shikamaru asked me as we both sat up. He sounded shocked and tired, but okay.

I gripped my side, feeling the warm blood flowing from it. "Yeah, I will be. It's not bad." I replied, trying to hide the pain in my voice.

"Well thanks, I think you just saved my life."

"No problem."

I began to try to stand, but fell down onto my knee. I heard Shikamaru tell me to stay down, but I ignored him. I watched as Miyuki began to attack the second guy, but the one with the spear was now coming for us. "Shit." I whispered as I grabbed a knife from my pocket.

The man froze right before he reached us, caught in Shikamaru's shadow. I sighed in relief, but I knew Shikamaru couldn't hold the control for very long. I gripped the knife tighter, knowing what I would have to do.

The fight ended very soon after, with Miyuki killing the second ninja as I killed the first.

"Seems like you guys couldn't hold up your end of the bargain. Lucky for you, we finished what needed to be done." Miyuki told them with a smirk before taking off into the trees. "Now let's go!" She called after us. For a Foundation, she sure was bossy.

"You're still bleeding Cassandra." Shino told me, ignoring what Miyuki had said.

"I know." I replied, feeling faint from the loss of blood. I pulled out my bandages from my bag and sat down. "It stings like a bitch." I commented, mostly to myself, as I unraveled it and began to wrap it around my sides.

"Here, let me help." Shikamaru told me as he kneeled down in front of me. "You guys go ahead, or that blonde girl will get angry. We'll catch up."

The other three boys nodded reluctantly and then took off to where Miyuki had disappeared to.

"Thanks." I said as I handed the bandage to him. It was a little difficult to wrap it myself, and it hurt a lot to move around.

"Well, it's my fault it happened." Shikamaru shrugged, but blushed slightly as he continued the wrapping around me. I chuckled to myself, knowing he was slightly uncomfortable and embarrassed by the close contact. Innocent boys are always the cutest.

"Accidents happen, I'll be okay in a few days. No big deal." I smiled, which caused him to blush a little more. "You'll probably have a few bruises though; I slammed into you pretty hard and then you hit the ground pretty hard."

He shrugged again, not saying anything in reply as he finished the wrapping. After it was all set, he stood up and reached his hand down to help me up. Once I was up, I held onto his hand and used it to pull myself forward, planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks again." I told him with a smile before turning and taking off towards the others. I knew he was shocked and blushing even more, but I found enjoyment in it. Hopefully he didn't have a girlfriend that would come attack me later.


	4. Chapter 4

Shikamaru's POV

I watched her take off towards the trees, slightly slower than before due to her injury. I knew I was blushing like crazy, damn girl. She caught me by surprise, kissing me like that when I should be the one thanking her. She did save my life after all.

I caught up to her and we remained silent as we hurried after the others. We had to go a little slower due to not wanting to reopen her wound, but it was still faster than my normal speed. She moved like lightning, as quick as a flame. No wonder she had red hair.

It didn't take too long, since the others were waiting a little ways away. "You okay Cas?" The blonde girl, whose name I had forgotten, asked Cassandra.

"I'm fine." Cassandra replied, sounding bored and irritated as she talked to her. "Let's just head back to the village before anything else happens."

Cassandra's POV

"Shikamaru! Choji! You're back!" A girl with long whitish blonde hair cried out as soon as we walked through the gate.

"Kiba! Shino!" Another girl with short purple hair called out after her. The two girls ran up to the group of boys, slowly followed by two joinin.

"Do you miss it?" Miyuki asked me as she walked up to me. We watched a little ways back as the two groups combined into one, a friendly welcome to the boys. "Being on a team like that."

"I miss it every day, more than you could ever imagine." I replied with a sigh. It still hurt a little, even after a year, watching teams like theirs.

"We better go report to lady Tsunade." Miyuki told me as she looked at the Hokage building, any sense of emotion from her voice gone.

"Why don't you go ahead? I should probably go to the hospital and get this wound checked out." I answered with a smirk. I knew she didn't like Lady Tsunade very much, but she couldn't argue with me. Plus, I wanted to speak to Lady Tsunade privately. She didn't say anything else, but disappeared into her leaf tornado, and was gone. "Thank god." I whispered to myself as soon as she was out of sight.

I looked back at the guys with a small smile. They were good people to work with, they deserved the warm welcome they were getting. I turned away, beginning to leave when I was called back.

"Cassandra!" A man's voice called. I turned, seeing the man, whose name I think is Asuma Sensei, walking up to me. "I didn't know you were back in the village."

I gave him a warm smile to avoid saying his name, since I wasn't sure I had it right. "Hello. I've been back for a few months."

"Hope your mission didn't take too much out of you. You should join us, we're all going down to eat and celebrate the successful mission." Asuma, I think, invited. I could see Shikamaru and the others watching the conversation in silence. I knew they could feel the tension, could tell something wasn't right. It was just a little . . . awkward.

"I'll have to pass this time. I should go get this wound checked out and then report to Lady Tsunade." I paused and sighed. "Besides, big groups aren't my thing. But thank you." Asuma nodded, understanding. I raised my hands up and closed my eyes, bursting into flames and disappearing. It's for the best, I kept telling myself. Maybe one day I'll believe it.

Shikamaru's POV

"Who is that girl? I've never seen her before." Ino asked as soon as Cassandra disappeared.

"She saved my life." I commented with a sigh. I was almost hoping she would say yes to join us, just so I could spend more time with her. "I'm the reason she got hurt."

"That doesn't surprise me, sounds like something Cassandra would do." Asuma told us.

"She's faced a lot of hardships." Kurenai mentioned with a sad sigh. "Such a strong girl, I'm surprised the she hasn't broken down yet."

"What happened to her?" Kiba questioned, not afraid to ask what everyone had been thinking.

"I don't know much about her early life, except that it wasn't very pleasant. She's a year older than you all, but her team graduated from the academy a year early. They were a team that held a lot of promise, all becoming chunin not even a year after they graduated." Kurenai began. "About a year ago, they were on a special mission that went disastrous. No one knows much about it, since the mission is now classified as unspeakable. All I know is they were ambushed, and faced with a situation where only one of them would make it out alive. Her teammates chose to save her, and much to her protest, she was the only one to make it back."

"That's so sad." Hinata commented, sounding like she was about to cry.

"I remember that, the whole village had a funeral." Shino said. I don't know why, but I couldn't remember it. I hoped I hadn't slept through it.

"Shortly after, she was selected for an ANBU expedition that went on for about nine months." Asuma continued the story. "Since that's over, everyone figured she'd join the ANBU, but she declined the offer. Now she's just a temporary joinin who fills in for missing spots in a team. Probably just waiting until she decides to take a team of her own."

"If she does." Kurenai added. "You can tell, she's scared to get close to anyone; she's too afraid of losing anyone else."

We all went silent for a few seconds, until Asuma brightened the mood and we all went down to go eat. I couldn't get her out of my thoughts though. What a rough time. I looked at my team, knowing how miserable I would be if any of them were to be killed. I couldn't imagine how hard it would be to lose them all at once.


	5. Chapter 5

Cassandra's POV

The hospital wasn't very busy when I arrived. Sakura, the pink haired girl I had met briefly on a few occasions, the one who is Lady Tsunade's personal apprentice, was the one who healed my side.

"So, can I ask what happened?" She asked when she was finished as she sat on the edge of the hospital bed. Luckily it hadn't been infected and was healing nicely on its own, so she hadn't had to do much.

"Basically, I pushed Shikamaru out of the way from a spear and I wasn't fast enough to avoid it myself." I told her with a shrug.

"Boys, always needing our help." Sakura replied with a small giggle.

"Do you know Shikamaru pretty well? Can you tell me about him?" I questioned before bursting out laughing. "That sounds really weird. I'm just a little curious, I don't know many people your age."

"Shikamaru is a great guy, he's really smart. He's just lazy as hell. He, Naruto, Kiba, and Choji used to ditch classes at the academy all time. But he's a great leader and even though he seems like he doesn't care about much, he does care about his teammates and those he works with." Sakura paused, looking at me. "You don't have a crush on him do you?"

I immediately defended myself, claiming to just be curious. Sakura laughed and told me I was free to go whenever I pleased.

"Stay out of trouble Cassandra." She told me with a smile as she left the room.

I sighed once she was gone, thinking over everything she had said about Shikamaru. Interesting boy, as much as I hated to admit it, I was going to find a way to spend more time with him. Even though my mind was telling me it was a stupid idea to try and get close to him, something else inside of me was telling me I should.

Shikamaru's POV

After the crazy dinner with both of our teams, I had Ino give me a few flowers from her shop. I refused to answer her questions as to why I needed them, but quickly got away and began heading towards the hospital.

It was still early by the time I reached the hospital, the sun wouldn't set for another hour or so. I walked in, immediately spotting Sakura by the front desk talking to another nurse.

"Sakura!" I called to her.

"Shikamaru?" She questioned as I walked up to her. I saw her look down at the flowers in my hand and smile. "Are you here for Cassandra?"

"Uh yeah." I replied, shrugging like it wasn't a big deal. "How did you know?"

"Girls know everything." Sakura answered in her usual proud tone. "Cassandra isn't here anymore though, I released her not that long ago."

I cursed under my breath. I had no way of finding her now. "Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

Sakura thought about it for a moment. "I know she had to report to Lady Tsunade, but she's probably finished that by now. She might have gone to get something to eat, or just went back to her apartment. I have no clue."

"Try the graveyard." A new voice suggested. We turned around, seeing Lady Tsunade walking up to us. "The one by the east gate. She just left my office."

"Why the graveyard?" Sakura asked.

"Her team is buried there, it's not uncommon for her to go there after missions." Tsunade informed us.

"Thanks Tsunade." I told her and hurried out of the hospital.

Luckily, I spotted her as soon as I reached the graveyard. She was sitting in front of a tombstone by herself, her back facing me. I stayed there for a moment, slowing my breathing after my mad dash to get here.

Eventually, I worked up the courage to approach her. I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I just walked up to her and thrust the flowers into her face.

"Shikamaru?" she asked as she looked up at me. She definitely seemed surprised, but she still smiled.

"I tried to find you at the hospital, but you weren't there. These are for you." I told her, shrugging.

She took them from me, holding them in both of her hands, observing them silently. "They're beautiful, thank you. But why?"

"You saved my life and got hurt for it, I figured I owed you something." I answered.

"You don't owe me anything." She replied, then laughed. "Would you mind putting one in my hair?"

I nodded slowly and kneeled down beside her. She handed me a flower, and I gently brushed the hair on one side of her head. I knew I was blushing now, and I saw her smile at my discomfort. I wasn't used to being so close to girls like her, it's not my fault I was nervous.

Cassandra's POV

"Why are you so nervous?" I asked as he secured the flower into my hair. He took his hands away as soon as he could, and he was blushing furiously.

"Why are you so alive around me, but distant from everyone else." He countered.

"Uh…" I stumbled, completely caught by surprise. I stayed silent for a moment as I thought about it. "I know I'm afraid to get close to people again. I mean, I could have joined the ANBU and avoided it entirely." I paused as I looked at the tombstones beside me. "You reminded me of all of them, but you're also completely different. Maybe I just like the sound of your voice, or the way you sigh when you have to do something you don't want to. Maybe I don't know you very well, but maybe I want to. Maybe I am just lonely." I stopped rambling and looked at him.

"You shouldn't have to be alone, you always have friends here in the village. I know you're afraid and all, but isn't it better to not be alone?" Shikamaru asked as he looked back at me.

"It might be, I'm not sure of anything anymore." I told him with a sigh.

"Then let me convince you." Shikamaru said.

"And how are you going to do that?" I smirked.

"Uh…" He paused as his face blushed red. "Like this." He leaned closer to me and gently brushed a piece of hair out of my face. His lips gently touched mine, just briefly.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked once we separated.

"I wanted to make sure you don't disappear. Because I want to be in your life and I want you in mine."

"Okay, I'll stay. At least for now." I leaned forward, kissing him again. When we broke apart, I stared laughing. "At least now you can tell your friends you got a girlfriend first."

"You heard that conversation?"

"Every word."

"Oh." Shikamaru blushed even harder but I continued to laugh.

"Come on, it's getting dark. Why don't you walk me home?" I told him with a smile.

"Alright." We stood up, and he grabbed my hand. I led him out of the graveyard, gripping it tightly. He smiled as he looked down at me, and I smiled back. Maybe he was right, maybe I could at least try.


End file.
